1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a musical instrument, more particularly to drums especially to a tongue drum and more specifically to a modular tongue drum which can be fitted with any one of a multiple of tone plates, each having different voicing.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide a tongue drum by cutting a plurality of different length bars into a surface of a hollowed out log. Ancient cultures used these tongue drums for communication, ceremony and likely pleasure. The bars are typically manually cut longitudinally into the surface of the log, each bar separated by a small space. Each bar must be painstakingly shaved to establish the tone. The process of creating a tongue drum from a log is extremely time consuming and provides for little margin of error. Since each tongue is tuned by a craftsman, tongue drums are largely unavailable to the general public due to the great cost. Therefore, there exists a great need for tongue drum system comprising a drum shell, a drum head, a drum head ring and a plurality of removable tone plates wherein each tone plate has different voicing. There is also a need for a tone plate wherein each note thereof is derived from primary tone of the tone plate. A need also exists for a tongue drum tone plate that is readily duplicated to give exact tones for each tongue of every tone plate thus lowering the overall cost of a tongue drum such that the general public may enjoy the joys of playing a tongue drum.
It is also known to provide a circular tongue drum crafted from a hollowed out log wherein the top of the drum is a different wood piece than the log. The tongues are formed in parallel rows in the top of the drum without a much space between in the head. For instance, see the non-patent artwork by Jeffrey Smith, Artist of SmithArtWorks, living in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, available online from Etsy, Inc., 55 Washington Street, Suite 512 Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A. as item number 8247751. The need still exists for a precision made tongue drum tone plate that can be readily duplicated wherein a primary tone tongue is established and the remainder of the tone tongues are derived from the primary tone tongue. The need also still exists for a plurality of tongue tone plates of different voicing.
It is likewise known to provide a steel tongue drum which has a plurality of tongues arranged around the periphery of a drum head. The tongues are formed into the surface of the drum head which is integral with the drum shell as is common in steel drum manufacture. Additional tongues are formed into the central portion of the drum head though there is no open space between any of the tongues. The tongues are cut into, but not through the drum head as opposed to being raised or lowered dimples as in steel calypso drums. The tongues are arranged in a “cycle of fifths pattern.” For instance, see non-patent document showing the RockCreek Steel Tongue Drum made by Rock Creek Steel Drums, 1290 Bay Dale Drive, #355, Arnold, Md. 21012 available for sale on the Ebay website as item #320551085989. This drum is an inverse of a common steel drum with a raised drum surface. Obviously, there exists a need for a steel tongue drum comprising a plurality of tongue tone plates that are cut through a steel plate wherein a primary tone tongue is established and all remaining tone tongues are derived from the primary tone tongue.
It is further known to provide a tongue drum fashioned into the bottom portion of a propane bottle. The drum has a plurality of tongues arranged around the periphery of the top with a centrally located hole. For instance, see non-patent literature for a Tone Drum—Metal tongue drum by Ile' Tambor, Atlanta, Ga. available for sale online from Etsy, Inc., 55 Washington Street, Suite 512 Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A. as item number 49354170. There is no open space between the ends of the tongues resulting in wasted material. Additionally, the tongues are cut by hand into the surface of the bottle bottom and are individually voiced by lengthening the cut alongside each tongue. Accordingly, there still is a great need for a tongue drum comprising a flat steel plate provided with a plurality of tongues of different lengths but of the same triangular shape wherein a primary tone tongue is established and the remaining tongues are derived from the primary tone tongue. There is also a great need for a drum shell having a plurality of mounting posts extending from one edge surface wherein a circular drum head comprising a flat steel plate is affixed thereto.
Finally, it is known to provide a drum shell with fingers protruding inwardly from the inner peripheral surface of the drum shell. For instance, see the U.S. Design Pat. D 616,017 issued on 18 May 2010 to Joe E. Partridge, Jr. The fingers of the drum shell are rigid and all of the same size and shape. The fingers do not produce sound and are inaccessible by the user of the drum shell when a drum head is affixed thereto. Therefore, there is still a need for a tongue drum which comprises a circular drum head, a cylindrical drum shell, a tensioning ring and a plurality of fasteners wherein the cylindrical drum shell is provided with a plurality of mounting posts extending from one edge surface which support the circular drum head. The circular drum head comprises a flat steel plate provided with a plurality of tongues of different lengths but the same base width extending inwardly from an outer periphery edge of the flat steel plate wherein the plurality of tongues are separated by radial slits extending inwardly from the outer peripheral edge to an end of each tongue thus creating variable open space between oppositely facing end faces of the tongues.